Ecclesiastes 11–12

Living in the Light of the Limits of Human Knowledge

11Send out your bread on the water,

for in many days you will find it.

²Divide your share in seven or in eight,

for you do not know what disaster will happen on the earth.

³When the clouds are full,

they empty rain on the earth.

Whether a tree falls to the south or whether it falls to the north,

the place where the tree falls—there it will be.

⁴Whoever watches the wind will not sow;

whoever watches the clouds will not reap.

⁵Just as you do not know how the path of the wind^a goes,

nor how the bones of a fetus form in a mother’s womb,

so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

⁶Sow your seed in the morning,

and do not let your hands rest in the evening,

for you do not know what will prosper—

whether this or that, or whether both of them alike will succeed.

Enjoy Life to the Fullest within the Auspices of the Fear of God

⁷The light is sweet,

and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸For if a man lives many years,

let him rejoice in all of them!

Let him remember that the days of the darkness will be many—

all that is coming is vanity!

⁹Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth!

Follow the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes—

but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.

¹⁰Banish anxiety from your heart,

and put away pain from your body,

for youth and vigor are vanity.

Advice to the Young: Life is Short and Then You Die

12Remember your Creator in the days of your youth—

before the days of trouble come

and the years draw near when you will say,

“I find no pleasure in them!”

²Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars darken

and the clouds return after the rain.

³When the guards of the house tremble,

and the men of strength are bent;

the grinders cease because they are few,

and those looking through the windows see dimly.

⁴When the doors on the street are shut,

when the sound of the grinding mill is low;

one rises up to the sound of the bird,

and all the daughters of song are brought low.

⁵They are afraid of heights,

and terrors are on the road.

The almond tree blossoms,

and the grasshopper draws itself along, and desire fails

because man goes to his eternal home,

and the mourners go about in the streets.

⁶Before the silver cord is snapped

and the golden bowl is broken;

and the jar at the foundation is broken,

and the wheel at the cistern is broken.

⁷And the dust returns to the earth as it was,

and the breath returns to God who gave it.

Motto Restated

⁸“Vanity of vanity!” says the Teacher.^a

“Everything is vanity!”

Epilogue

⁹The Teacher^b was full of wisdom, and he taught the people with knowledge. He carefully considered many proverbs and carefully arranged them. ¹⁰The Teacher^c sought to find delightful words,^d and he wrote^e what is upright—truthful words.

¹¹The words of the wise are like cattle goads; the collections of the sages are like pricks inflicted by one shepherd.^{f 12}My son, be careful about anything beyond these things.^g For the writing of books is endless, and too much study is wearisome.^h

¹³Now that all has been heard, here is the final conclusion:

Fear God and obey his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man.

¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every secret thing, whether good or evil.